


Growing Up

by Creed Cascade (creedcascade), Echosrevenge



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Smallville
Genre: M/M, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-09
Updated: 2013-11-09
Packaged: 2017-12-31 22:51:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1037325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creedcascade/pseuds/Creed%20Cascade, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echosrevenge/pseuds/Echosrevenge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Clark goes to Gotham for college, his need to save people catches the attention of the Bat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Growing Up

Clark bit back a curse as he looked down the alley he was passing and saw a girl he knew from college getting mugged. In the five weeks since he had left Smallville for college in Gotham City he had not run into anything out of the ordinary and he had been hoping it would stay that way. By the end of his senior year he was so tired of the continual mutant madness that seemed to swirl around Smallville and the assorted weirdness that followed Lex around.

For a brief second he was actually tempted to turn away and pretend he had not seen anything. If they were just taking her wallet, was that really enough to start drawing attention to himself? Even as that thought was running through his head, he was moving down the alley.

"Hey, Cheryl, did you need someone to walk you home?" he called out as he got close. He was not sure that was really her name, but he was hoping that the thugs would decide to just take off when they saw him.

"Look, Larry," one of the thugs said. "We got people walking up to us to hand over their wallets now."

Clark slowly reached into his back pocket and pulled his wallet out. "Look guys. I don't want any trouble. Just take our wallets and let me walk my friend home."

"Thanks for the wallet, now get the hell out of here," Larry said as he grabbed Clark's wallet. "Cheryl here is gonna be providing our entertainment for the night so she's gonna stay here."

Clark used a bit more speed and strength then was normal, but managed to wedge himself between Cheryl and the thugs without giving anything away. "Not gonna happen, buddy."

At the same time Larry started to thrust his knife towards Clark's stomach, a dark shape swooped down into the alley. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Clark grabbed the knife by the blade and ripped it out of the guy's hand. "You and your friends are gonna get hurt of you don't leave us alone," Clark said to a shocked Larry.

"Holy shit, that's Batman," the girl behind Clark said as she pointed around him. That pronouncement was enough to send the thugs running.

Seeing as they were already fleeing, Clark ran after Larry and tackled him. Things would not get out of control with Batman there, and Larry had already been disarmed. Clark really did not want his wallet floating around Gotham.

"It's idiots like you that get themselves killed," Batman said, standing behind Clark as he pulled the wallet out of Larry's unresisting hands. "Next time don't act like a fool over a few dollars."

"It's not about the money," Clark said and grabbed the wallet from Batman's outstretched hand. "It's about what's right. I couldn't just let him get away with that."

"You're a kid. Let the professionals take care of this stuff," Batman said. "People like you just distract me from taking care of the real problems." With that, he launched a grappling hook and swung off into the night.

"Some kid, huh," Clark muttered. He did not want to get noticed in Gotham like he had been in Smallville, but he was not used to being dismissed like that. Keeping an eye on Batman, he followed carefully at a distance.

It surprised Clark how quickly and easily Batman jumped between buildings and scaled walls. He watched as Batman jumped down from a two-story building with ease and landed in a dark alley. Hiding in the shadows, Batman got into a black tricked out car and speed off down the streets. There was something about Batman that intrigued Clark and this might be the only chance he might get to find out more about him. Using his lightning speed, Clark took off after the vehicle.

He followed it on a twisting road to some caves and then darted in after it. Still moving at super speed, he found a corner to hide himself in and started looking around. The place was beyond impressive. Computers were everywhere, medical facilities were off in a corner, and there were more weapons scattered about than Clark had ever seen in one place. There was also a dignified butler that was approaching the Batmobile as Batman got out.

"Sir, the monitors indicate that we have a guest. They registered him entering at an extreme velocity, but are unable to locate or identify him within the cave."

"Thank you, Alfred," Batman said, already scanning the room. "Go upstairs while I take care of our visitor."

"I think not, sir," Alfred said with a quick shake of his head. "I will however stay out of your way."

Clark was considering running back out of the cave before they could find him, but while he was thinking, Batman triggered something on the control panel next to the Batmobile that slammed down a series of doors leading out of the cave. He made a quick scan of the cave again with his X-ray vision, looking for lead or Kryptonite. Once he was sure there was nothing in the cave that could hurt him, he stepped out into the open.

"Didn't mean to cause a problem guys," Clark said. "I was just wondering exactly what the bat with the attitude was up to."

Batman made a point of moving to stand in front of Alfred. "Who sent you?" he demanded.

Clark lifted up his hands and shook his head. "Hey, man. No one sent me. Like I said, I just wanted to see what you were up to. Just because you say you're a good guy doesn't mean you are."

"Cut the crap," Batman growled. "The innocent college boy act won't work with me."

"Indeed. A college boy would not have been able to move fast enough to avoid the cameras on the way into the cave," Alfred said, from the computer he was standing in front of. "From his record though, I would suspect that young Master Clark here is lacking in nefarious purposes. His association with Lex Luther does give one pause though."

"Past association," Clark corrected automatically. "We're not friends anymore. And I'd think that Batman here has more in common with Lex Luther than I'm comfortable with. Access to confidential material, minions…"

"Butler," Alfred said with a slight smile. "Occasional keeper perhaps, but not a minion."

"Well, I just wanted to see who you were, Mr. Wayne, and where to track you down if you got out of hand. Now that I've done that, do you think you could open the doors?" Clark asked.

"You know my real identity. You know where I live and you are not a regular human," Batman said. He didn't trust this kid and he certainly didn't like being called by his surname when he was in the uniform. "I don't think so."

"It'd sure be cheaper then replacing them after I go through them." Clark was tensing up to take off as he spoke. Wayne already knew he was not normal, but it's not like he was going to tell anyone. Maybe Clark sized holes in the reinforced steel doors would scare him off.

Bruce took that as all the invitation he needed to attack Clark. He launched at him with a solid punch to the jawbone. He didn't stop when it felt like he'd just hit a brick wall or when Clark didn't reel back. Bruce immediately followed through with a series of punches to Clark's midsection.

Clark just stood there for a few hits then chuckled. "You really should stop. It's annoying but if I fight back I might really hurt you." It was kind of funny to see the Batman that scared so many bad guys in Gotham futilely trying to hurt him.

"What are you?" Bruce demanded, taking a step back, but still circling around Clark. "Who sent you?"

"I think minion man already pulled my file. Look, you just pissed me off with your attitude and I wanted to see what was up with you. I'm not gonna make any trouble for you and I'm trying not to get noticed. So, lets just go our separate ways and forget about this little rendezvous."

"Files can be rigged," Bruce accused. "I don't buy your act. Let me guess, you set that whole scene up with the girl tonight, just so you could lure me out, then follow me back here."

"Damn, you're almost as paranoid as… a really paranoid person," Clark mumbled.

"Gentlemen," Alfred said, ignoring Clark's verbal stumble, although he had a good idea what name Clark had been about to say from the files he had skimmed. "You each seem to know some secrets about the other. Why don't you let me select appropriate dinner attire for Master Kent while Master Wayne changes out of that costume. Conversations like this go much smoother over a good meal."

"You can't chase away every problem away with food, Alfred," Bruce grumbled. He didn't want to sit and eat civilly with Clark, but the alternative was letting him go and he wasn't prepared to do that yet.

"I'll need at least half an hour then," Alfred announced. "Master Kent, you come with me. When Master Wayne is done, he can join you in the study while you both wait for dinner."

"No," Bruce said.

"Sir?" Alfred asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He stays where I can see him. Here."

Clark snorted. "I'll stay for dinner because I'm sure the food here is good, but I'm not changing in a cave with you. Lead the way, Alfred."

Bruce reached out and grabbed Clark's shoulder. "Do not mess with me when it comes to Alfred's safety, Kent. Understand me?"

"Don't gotta worry about me. I was the one that wanted to go home, I'm just staying for the food and if I hurt him I doubt there'd be any food," Clark said as he shook Bruce's hand off.

Once they were inside the elevator and traveling upwards, Alfred bestowed Clark with a friendly half smile. "You will have to excuse Master Wayne's manners. I did teach him better, but he most often chooses to ignore those lessons. His bark is worse than his bite, though."

"I'm used to dealing with too much money and shifting values," Clark said with a shrug. "You don’t really have to lay out new clothes for me. I'm sure with just Wayne and I eating, this outfit won't bother him."

"Master Bruce is rather fastidious," Alfred said. "And even if he is rude, he is a good host. He already has enough guilt, so please humour an old man."

Thirty minutes later Clark followed Alfred down the staircase into the formal dining room where Bruce was already waiting. "Thank you, Alfred," Clark said as he took the seat that had been pulled out for him. "Mr. Wayne, good to see you again."

"You're wearing my shirt," Bruce commented with a scowl in lieu of a greeting.

"Yes, he is, Master Bruce," Alfred said. "What else was I supposed to put him in? A rucksack?"

"Your clothes are almost big enough for me," Clark said with a shrug. "And it is only proper to dress for dinner. I doubt you would have let me leave to go get clothes, at least not without me running through some of your walls."

"I don't appreciate your attempt at humour," Bruce said, as his scowl increased.

"I don't think you appreciate anything humorous," Clark shot back and sat down across from Bruce. "But at least the food smells good, even the company is lacking."

"Both of you are showing a lack of humor and manners," Alfred admonished. "The two of you seem to have at least something in common if you were both trying to save someone earlier."

"Pass the roast beef… please," Bruce gritted out. He gritted out the last word sarcastically and looked down at the table when Alfred gave him a cross look.

Clark picked up the plate of steaming roast beef and plopped several slices onto his own plate before passing it to Bruce. "I would've been able to help that girl by myself, ya know."

"Please, you've shown you're not exactly normal, but that does not mean you know how to take out the vermin that roam the streets here. They won't go easy on you all the time and some of them will have ways around your powers. Best leave this stuff to people like me who know what they are doing," Bruce snorted.

Clark filled his half of his plate with a large mound of mashed potatoes and then drowned everything in gravy. "I'm just trying to point out if you see me handling something in the future, you don't need to interfere. Not that I'm planning to go looking for trouble, mind you."

"That's all we need. Someone with no training out there. The cops cause enough problems," Bruce said.

"Well, Master Bruce, perhaps the answer is to assist young Master Clark here in learning about the perils of Gotham nightlife and how he might best make a difference. I highly doubt he will stand aside if he sees someone in trouble," Alfred said.

"I work alone. You know that, Alfred," Bruce grumbled.

Clark pointed his fork at Bruce and said, "And I don't want to be seen with Mr. Anti-Social here… be seen, or hell… spent time with him. Besides, I've got classes."

"I looked over a variety of newspaper clippings, police reports, and a number of web pages about Smallville while I was finishing dinner. I can read between the lines, and I think you've been doing this sort of thing as long as Master Bruce has. You both may be able to learn from each other," Alfred said.

"You can start by showing me the files of the local bad guys so I know who to look out for," Clark said.

"Very well," Alfred said before Bruce could answer. "I trust you two can remain polite while I prepare a briefing for Master Clark. We can go over it in the cave with dessert." With that, Alfred left them alone in the dining room to finish off their meal.

"In a spooky way, he reminds me of my mom," Clark commented.

"Alfred is invaluable," Bruce said, some of the frost leaving his voice as he talked about the butler. "Raised me himself after my parents were murdered. I have no idea where I'd be without him."

"So…" Clark hesitated a bit and played with the corner of his napkin. "He's kind of like your adopted Dad? That's cool. And it's not like I'm trying to pry into your personal life, or anything…"

"Not much prying is needed. Growing up as the head of Wayne Industries means just about everything is public record, and the one thing that isn't, you already know," Bruce said.

"Well, I've learned that just because something's in the newspaper or gossip doesn't mean it's real," Clark said. "It's one of the reasons I want to become a journalist. I want to tell the truth."

"Speaking of the truth, I noticed you were rather more comfortable with a formal dinner then I would expect a farm boy to be. Did you have some high society friends in Smallville?" Bruce asked.

"I already know that you know the answer to that," Clark answered. "So, you're the second semi-psychotic billionaire I've shared dinner with."

"Like you, I take what the tabloids say with a grain of salt. You don't seem the type to be a Luther boy toy. You did know him though, because my after dark activities are not something Lex Luthor needs to know about."

A blush rose on Clark's face when Bruce alluded to a sexual relationship with Lex. "Nothing like that happened between us," Clark mumbled. "He likes women."

"It figures that he'd be as close minded about that as he is about other things," Bruce said with a snort. "You didn’t say if you planned on telling him about me, though."

"We don't talk anymore," Clark said. He got up out of his seat and turned away from Bruce towards the doorway. "Listen, do you think Alfred has dessert yet? I bet he makes kick ass dessert."

"I'm sure it will be something to impress you. Alfred won't admit it, but he likes showing off. You'll probably have an indexed folder to use as reference while he gives you a briefing over dessert," Bruce said as he followed Clark to the cave. "Was this your first time playing the hero in town by the way?"

"I might've helped a few people," Clark admitted. "But nothing serious. Not like stopping a bank robber or anything. Nothing a normal good Samaritan wouldn't do."

That earned an extended bitter laugh from Bruce. "You are from a small town aren't you? Most people here will cross the street not to notice a mugging. Alfred might be right about training you if you insist on getting involved."

"I know how to fight…" Clark said.

"But do you know how to control your strength?" Bruce asked. "Or how to stay hidden when necessary?"

"I haven't gotten caught yet," Clark said, "and I haven't hurt anyone who didn't deserve it."

"You've been lucky so far. I was looking over stuff the computer dug up while I was getting ready for dinner. There's almost enough out there to unmask you. Just one small slip up on your part could do it. From what I've seen so far, I don't want to see you end up under the thumb of someone lacking in morals," Bruce said.

"I don't want to get caught," Clark sighed. "I keep telling myself I won't interfere, but then something happens. I don't know about you, but when you see their eyes… the people who need help... I can't turn away. My dad was like you, always trying to tell me to be careful… to keep hidden."

"We'll, he was smart about it then, but I'm not the one to tell you to stop helping people. Darting into an alley in your street clothes and showing off your powers isn't a good idea though. If you're going to keep helping people you've got to be smarter about it."

"It's not like I'm going out and looking for people to involve myself with, you know. It just happens," Clark said.

"Uh huh." Bruce's tone was doubtful. They had reached the Batcave and the elevator doors opened.

"What? You want me to run around in some dorky costume?" Clark chuckled.

"Some sort of disguise would be a good idea, Master Clark. I'm sure we can come up with something that is more your style than Master Bruce's look, but we can talk about that after you get an overview of the city. That's your seat," Alfred said waving to the one with the three-inch binder on the table in front of it.

Clark took one look at the binder and sighed. "Gotham really is just one big muck filled mire of bad guys, isn't it?"

"It's home," Bruce said and sat down beside Clark.

"What Master Bruce is trying to say is that yes, Gotham has an abnormally high crime rate for a city this size."

"Is it as high per capita as Smallville?" Clark asked with a small grin.

"Actually, no. Per capita Smallville would actually seem to be a more dangerous place to live then Gotham, which was more than a little surprising," Alfred answered. "You'll find though, that the threats here are different then you faced before."

Clark had picked up a pencil and was tapping it in a continuous rhythm. "All of this is a bit overwhelming," Clark sighed. "I mean, it's not beyond me or anything… I'm taking Criminology. But, I never had…" Clark stopped and waved his hand vaguely to indicate the Batcave. "…all this. I just helped people. Sort of planned as stuff came up."

"While Smallville may have been more dangerous per capita, the sheer overwhelming amount of activity that occurs in this city makes lack of planning impractical," Alfred said.

"And you do this all by yourself?" Clark looked at Bruce and smiled. His bangs fell over his eyes and he brushed them away. "I don't know whether to respect you or question your sanity."

"You would not be the only one that does that on occasion," Bruce said, looking quickly at Alfred. "I'm guessing that's why he has decided to try to get me to work with someone."

"An associate of similar persuasion would not hurt you, Master Bruce," Alfred agreed.

"Maybe, just maybe, after I get to know the boy and see how he handles himself we might work together when I need the help on something," Bruce said.

"Hey, I'm not a boy," Clark protested. "I'm nineteen."

"Indeed," Alfred said, with a glare that shut Bruce up. For the next hour he outlined the situation in Gotham for Clark while adding just enough of the latest information to keep Bruce interested.

"Well, if neither of you have any questions, you can change and Master Wayne will train with you for a short while," Alfred said when he was done.

"But, I didn't…" Clark started to object.

Bruce simply held up his hand and shook his head. "There's really no point in arguing with Alfred, Clark. Trust me."

"I lay out your training clothes, Sir," Alfred said as he gathered the information from the table. "Don't forget to watch your strained left shoulder."

"Give him a minute," Bruce said when Clark started to get up as soon as Alfred moved away from the table. "He'll want to have clothes waiting for both of us. Not sure what we'll do training wise. That invulnerability thing you have going on is probably going to make sparring difficult."

"I know how to control myself. I used to play football," Clark told him and then added with a smirk. "So I know I can lower my abilities down to your level."

"That's not the problem. It's finding a way to train you when you are using your full strength so you learn at least a modicum of finesse. If you are doing this long enough you'll run into trained people who are as strong as you," Bruce said.

"They attack, I duck and punch. What sort of science is there in that?"

"If you run into someone who is almost as strong as you are and they are trained, you are going to lose, and there are some bad guys out there who are pretty damn strong," Bruce said.

"Yeah, I see your point." Clark followed Bruce back up to the main house to the section in the back of the mansion renovated to be a top-notch training room. "But, if you're doing this just because your butler bullied you into it…"

"Like he didn't bully you into it too. When you showed up here, you were not planning on dinner, a city briefing, and sparing. You agreed to it all though, because it's Alfred," Bruce said.

"Like I said, in a spooky way, he reminds me of my mom," Clark said, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know exactly what I was expecting here. I didn't plan on getting caught. As for the meal, I never turn down free food."

"A trait that Alfred will no doubt exploit," Bruce said. "He should be done in the changing room if you want to go change and get this done. I assume you have class in the morning and need your sleep."

Clark looked down and nervously ruffled the back of his hair. He had already revealed so many of his secrets to this man. "I sort of don't have to sleep a lot."

"You're not just meta-human are you?" Bruce asked. "You're a bit much for that." When Clark started to stammer, Bruce just shook his head. "Forget I asked for now, but I will need to know if we are actually going to work together. Now let’s go get changed before Alfred comes after us."

Bruce walked into the changing room and Clark followed after him, but hesitated at the door. He grasped the doorframe and took breath. There was no reason why he should be feeling a strange flutter in his stomach right now. He'd just met this man and they were simply going to change to work out.

The room was a good sized half circle with a bank of uniforms in individual units against one wall and an open shower on the far side with a massage table and some benches in the middle. There was a set of black t-shirts and sweats lying over a bench for each of them.

Clark didn't want Bruce to think he was freaking out in any way, so he tried to act normal. He quickly stripped off the dress shirt he'd been wearing, but then paused with his hand on the button of his pants. He couldn't help but look up to see Bruce take his own shirt off and then look back to the floor when he felt a slight blush burn his cheeks.

"Ah, I appreciate borrowing the stuff," Clark mumbled. "The clothes, ya know."

"You can thank, Alfred," Bruce answered. The boy was looking down, but he had seen the quick glance. Bruce was used to people either fawning over him or being fearful, not self-conscious or shy.

"I will," Clark said. He quickly stripped off to his boxers and pulled on the sweats.

"You workout," Bruce said, stripping down to his own black, tight jockey shorts. When Clark's blush burned brighter, he finished dressing and added, "That's good. Means you don't take your gifts for granted. Now, let's get out there."

 

Clark was on the phone with his mom a week later, making sure not to mention Bruce at all. He could just imagine his parent’s reaction if they found out that his new friend was Gotham's young, eccentric billionaire. And there was no way he was going to mention the whole Batman thing. He was only half paying attention when the beeper Bruce had given him went off for the first time, indicating an emergency.

"Um, Mom, I've gotta go. I forgot I had a date," Clark said and then winced. That was going to open up a whole line of questions latter on. He really needed to stop coming up with excuses off the top of his head.

After getting off the phone he hurried outside behind the dorm, and after a quick scan to make sure he was unobserved, he super speeded to the cave.

"You're late," Bruce said as Clark streaked to a stop in front of him.

"How can I be late?" Clark demanded. He picked the pager off his belt and pointed at it. "You just paged me like five minutes ago."

"I ran some calculations based on your previous performance," Bruce told him. "You should have been here in four and half minutes. It took you seven minutes."

"I was on the phone." When Bruce gave him a doubtful look, Clark sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "It was mom! I can't just hang up on my mom because you paged me."

"I told you this was a bad idea," Bruce said to Alfred.

"Oh, come on. Did you want to me to explain to my parents that I was working with Batman now?" Clark asked. "So, what's going on? Alfred and I still haven't even decided on a costume and you said I can't go out without one."

"Your suit is in the room. Get it on and I'll tell you in the car," Bruce said. "I decided that two Batmen would be best. Then they won't ever know who they are facing. We're close enough in size that in the dark it should be hard to tell who is who."

Clark really didn't want to go out dressed like another Batman, but he also realized that every moment he spent arguing meant someone could be in danger. "Only this once."

He was already putting on his own body armor. "Just don't do anything that would jeopardize what that suit means."

Clark was into the room and back out in the suit in just under a minute. "Let's get going."

As they headed out of the Batcave, Bruce activated the screen in front of Clark. "We've got some group threatening the closing ceremonies of the Gotham Rodeo. The Joker and some of his minions are threatening the crowd from the arena area and he's got other people blocking all the exits. There's almost 10,000 people in there. We're going to have to be really careful to get everyone out unharmed."

"That many people went to see a rodeo?" Clark chuckled and noticed that Bruce gave him a dark scowl. Apparently the man didn't like the idea of someone in Batsuit laughing. "Okay… rodeo. Guess when we get him, the Joker will have a cow…"

"Would you be serious?" Bruce snapped. "People's lives are in danger."

"It was a joke."

"Just pay attention to the briefing. You're going to use your speed to take out the minions while I distract Joker. He likes the attention too much to do anything while I'm confronting him in front of a whole crowd. Hopefully, you'll have people getting out of there by the time I figure out just what surprise he has waiting for us," Bruce said.

"How many minions are we talking about here?"

"At least twenty five," Bruce answered. "Can you handle that?"

"I have to, don't I? If I don't, innocent people will die."

"Joker will kill people to get my attention. So even if neither of us went over there he'd start killing and keep going until they were all dead. You have to look at who you save, not who you lose," Bruce said with a sigh. "Or just get out, take the suit off, and stop this altogether. If you don't you'll end up almost as crazy as I am."

"I don't think you're that crazy…" Clark said in a quiet tone. "And I know what it's like to lose people, even when you try your best to save them."

"Just get in, do your job, then hang out where you can watch Joker and I. Try not to get involved with him unless it looks like I need help. I'll let you out here and give you two minutes to start cleaning up the outside before I drive in and confront him."

 

"No causalities," Bruce reported to Alfred as he stepped out of the Batmobile.  
"And the Joker, sir?" Alfred inquired.

"He escaped," Bruce grunted and quickly walked towards the changing room.

Clark took off the mask and stood beside Alfred watching Bruce stalk away. "Joker used a little kid against him. We had a choice to rescue her or get him. There was no choice."

"Indeed. Master Bruce's desire to save everyone is often used against him, but as long as no one was hurt the mission was a success. You should go change out of the uniform and clean up. I have a late dinner ready for the both of you," Alfred said.

"Alfred…"Clark had to stop and word this carefully. "Bruce took this hard. Is there anything I can do?"

"Not really. He's not used to talking to people about things like this and I doubt he knows you well enough to think about opening up. It's not really something you have to worry about," Alfred said.

Clark's brow furrowed and he looked up towards the dressing room. Maybe it wasn't something he wasn't supposed to worry about, but he was. "I'm going to go talk to him. We'll meet you upstairs. Thanks, Alfred."

Clark waited until Alfred nodded and left to go up in the elevator. He walked into the changing room where Bruce was about halfway done stripping off his body armor. "We saved her. There will always be another chance to get the Joker."

Bruce grunted at Clark but did not stop undressing. "Make sure you put the suit up properly before you get in the shower."

"Alfred's going to have dinner waiting for us," Clark said. Bruce obviously didn't want to talk about what happened, but Clark still felt the need to talk. He was tossing the facemask between his hands nervously.

"He always does. Gives me a chance to unwind after going out. I've seen the way you eat so I'm sure you won't be complaining," Bruce said. He had finished putting his suit up and stripped out of the last of his clothes before grabbing a towel. "Better not take too long. He does not like his food getting cold."

Clark watched out of the corner of his eye as Bruce walked toward the showers. Once Bruce was in the showers, Clark used his super speed to undress and put his uniform up. He then slowed down to normal speed right before he entered the shower area and tried to look nonchalant.

Steam was filling the room and Clark could see the red flush from where the hot water hit Bruce's body. Bruce was just standing below the steady stream of water with his eyes closed. Clark turned the water on next to Bruce and tried to look straight ahead.

"That speed can be annoying," Bruce said, breaking the silence. "When I started wearing the suit it took me forever to get it off properly."

Clark grabbed the soap and started to foam it up between his hands. "Yeah, it's got all sort of clips in weird places. Took me a bit to find some of them."

"Better then having part of the suit pop open in the middle of a battle," Bruce said with a snicker. "I had to endure a week of 'told you so' from Alfred over that and then he went over the top with the clips."

It was nice to hear Bruce chuckle and Clark turned to smile at him. "Do I want to know what popped open?"

"No, you'll have to try to get Alfred to tell you," Bruce said then hissed when he felt Clarks hand on his back. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, I was just, I noticed you had a bruise there," Clark stammered. "I thought you didn't get hit tonight, sorry." With that, Clark was out of the shower, dried off, dressed and out of the cave before Bruce could do more then blinked twice.

"Well," Bruce said as he shut the shower off. "That was unexpected." He moved a little slower than normal, as he got dressed for their late night snack, deep in thought.

 

"Master Clark is expected for supper this evening, Sir," Alfred said as Bruce walked into the kitchen. He'd just come home from a long day at Wayne Industries and this was far from the greeting he had been expecting.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Alfred. I was going to go out patrolling right after I ate."

"I've been monitoring the police communications all day and there's nothing pressing that will demand your attention."

Bruce sighed and then looked closely at Alfred. "What are you up to? I smell one of your 'plans' that are for my own good. You know those 'plans' that I always dislike."

"You mean my plans that always in your best interest, Master Bruce?" Alfred chuckled lightly. "That is of course if I had a plan. I'm just inviting a nice young man over for a meal. There's nothing manipulative about that."

 

"Not worth arguing with you is it?" Bruce said. "Just let me know when I need to come back down for dinner. I'm going to try to relax for a little bit."

"I've laid out your clothes for you," Alfred said and continued to mince an onion. "And I told Master Clark you would call him half an hour before the meal was ready. That will give you forty five minutes to relax and get changed, Sir."

"If he's coming over why do I have to call him?" Bruce asked.

"Because it is polite for the host to formally invite the guest over for the evening. I'm sure we covered that at some point as you were growing up," Alfred said.

"Yes, Alfred," Bruce answered with a sigh. "I'll call him."

Alfred rewarded Bruce with a slight smile. "He's a very nice young man. And he's away from home and I can tell he's lonely."

"I said I'll call him," Bruce growled. "Don't get too involved in the farm boy who is helping out with some of my other duties."

"And why is that, Master Bruce?"

"Because he's not going to be around that long." Bruce got up and noticed that Alfred was ignoring his temper, just like he always did. "He's not sticking around, Alfred."

"I quite imagine he'll still be here when I'm gone, Master Bruce. If you are not thickheaded just to prove a point," Alfred said as he walked out of the room, ending the conversation.

Fifty minutes later, Clark knocked on the front door and waited for Alfred to answer. The older man greeted him with a pleasant smile.

"Good to see you again, Master Clark."

"Clark, just Clark," he urged. "Bruce called. He said, and I quote, 'Alfred told me to call you. You can come over now. Bye.'"

"Yes, he has been in a mood today. I am sure you will learn to recognize them with time. He does not mean to be so rude most of the time. His current eavesdropping is inexcusable though. If he wished to see you as soon as you got here he did not need to attempt to hide around the corner," Alfred said, looking at the hallway Bruce was hiding in.

Bruce stepped out of the shadows with a heavy scowl on his face. "It is my house."

"Yes, it is," Alfred nodded. "Which is all the more reason you should greet your guest... properly."

"It's not a big deal," Clark said, taking one look at Bruce and blushing. "If you didn't want me over here, I can just take off. I didn't want to cause problems." Clark was backing slowly toward the front door while he was talking.

"Don't go," Bruce said and stepped completely out of the shadows. "I mean… Alfred cooked. There's no point in all of his hard work going to waste."

Clark's head swiveled between Bruce and Alfred quickly before he stopped moving. "Okay, dinner it is, then."

Bruce shrugged his shoulders and followed after Alfred down the corridor. Clark jogged quickly to catch up and then shoved his hands into his pockets. They walked in silence towards the dining room and finally Clark blurted something out. "Nice shirt." Bruce turned his head and his left eyebrow lifted slightly. Clark attempted to stammer out an explanation. "I mean, it's nice to see you in something other than black. Blue's nice on you."

"It is always nice to see someone who can get Master Bruce out of his never ending forays into solid black clothing," Alfred said. "I have laid the entire meal out so you will not be interrupted tonight. Enjoy."

Alfred left the dining room and closed the heavy oak doors behind them. Bruce noticed that there was a fire burning in the fireplace, casting dancing shadows across the dimly lit room.

"I wasn't sure I was going to see you again after last time," Bruce commented.

"I was just in a hurry," Clark said quickly. "It wasn't like anything happened to make me leave or anything. I've just been busy."

"Clark… did you ever date Lex Luthor?" Bruce asked.

Clark looked down at the Persian rug and blushed. "No! I already told you that."

Bruce took a few steps closer to Clark, invading his personal space. "How about anyone else?"

"I've dated," Clark said defensively, "but that's not really what I wanted to talk about over dinner. Is there anything going on in town I need to know about?"

"Just the usual unnatural lull in crime after a big blow up like other night," Bruce sighed. "The Joker's licking his wounds."

"That's good," Clark said as he sat down. "I mean about not much going on or anything. So this is just a social dinner then?"

Bruce reached out and plucked a grape from the fruit bowl. "Depends who you talk to."

"Yeah, like that makes sense."

Bruce popped the grape into his mouth and smirked at Clark. "Alfred thinks you're a good influence on me."

"Everybody always thinks I'm a good influence, except when I'm not, but not many people saw me then," Clark said. "I'm not sure what influence I could have on you though. I mean, Dark Knight, head of a huge company."

"Anti-social loner?" Bruce offered with a chuckle. "He thinks I need company. Someone who knows how to act around other people, but also can understand who I am. For some reason, he thinks that's you."

"I can just decline the invitations you know. I mean, if this whole thing bugs you. I don't want to hang around here if you're just having me over because Alfred wants me here," Clark said.

"If I really didn't want to be here, I wouldn't," Bruce said. He started to pile food onto Clark's plate, serving a guest first, just like Alfred had taught him when he was a child. "You do intrigue me."

"Is that in a 'freaky mutant powers' way or a 'I want to dress like him' way?" Clark asked with a hint of a grin at the pile of food now on his plate.

"I wouldn't call your powers freaky. Try… useful. And I don't do plaid, farm boy," he said with a soft snort. "I don't dislike being around you, which is more than I can say for most people… except Alfred."

"Then why do you always act pissed off when I'm around?" Clark asked. "It's like you don't want me to be here you know."

"It's who I am," Bruce answered. "I'm not like other people. I have tried to be more… accommodating. I called you."

"Okay, if you say so. I don't think a forced call really counts though. So this is really just a relaxing dinner date?" Clark asked then fought back a blush.

"Yes," Bruce confirmed and then reached for a nearby bottle of wine. "Wine?"

"Sure," Clark nodded and bit his lower lip slightly. "But if you're trying to get me drunk, it won't work."

Bruce stopped and looked up at Clark. He saw that Clark was smiling and still blushing. "Maybe I'm just trying to get myself drunk. I'm told I'm less of an asshole after a few glasses of wine."

"Doesn't seem to work that way for most people, but I guess everyone reacts differently. I tried getting drunk a few times, but I seem to be totally immune to it," Clark said.

Bruce picked up his glass and took a large sip from the glass. "I’ll have to thank Alfred."

"For the wine?"

Bruce shook his head. "For insisting you come over. This is nice."

"And you can never complain about the food here," Clark said. "I was tempted to speed over here every day for lunch when Alfred offered. So are we doing anything after dinner?"

"Sparring," Bruce answered. "I think there’s a few more things you need to learn."

"Okay, maybe we can go over the computers or something before that. I don't think we're supposed to workout right after we eat. I mean, it won't bother me but that's not really good for humans is it?"

"I’m not a normal human, Clark," Bruce said. "We eat. We spar."

"Cool, I'm going to have to borrow some clothes again though. Alfred didn't tell me to bring anything so I've just got what I'm wearing."

 

"You haven't sparred in the upstairs gym yet, have you?" Bruce asked as he tossed some sweats at Clark. "It's a bit more traditional and maybe we can figure out some things that you can do when people are watching."

Clark caught the sweats and noticed this time there was no shirt to go with it. He also noticed how Bruce bowed at the door, so he copied the same movement. "I’d be willing to try at least."

Bruce led Clark through a series of basic katas for thirty minutes. He copied Bruce almost perfectly, but his movements lacked any smoothness. It was more of a leap to each move he was copying.

"You’re not getting the transitions clearly," Bruce told him. He moved closer to Clark who still in set in a position. "Let me show you. You have to move your arms like this…" Bruce put his hand onto Clark’s arm and adjusted it to the correct angle.

"Um, okay, I think I got it," Clark said as he turned beet red. "You want me to try it again?"

Bruce’s hand was still resting on Clark’s hand and now he rubbed the skin under his palm. "I think now’s a good time to spar."

"Okay, but let me try this move first," Clark said as he shrugged Bruce's hand off. "I want to see if I've got it."

Bruce’s face darkened with Clark’s action and put his hand back in the same place, this time squeezing. "No, I said we’re going to spar."

"Sparring, right, we gonna do that downstairs where no one can watch?" Clark asked.

"Here. Now," Bruce insisted. "I want to teach you how to grapple."

"I don't know if that's a good idea. I might hurt you or something, because it's hard to control my strength when I'm that close," Clark said.

"You played football, didn’t you?" Bruce challenged. He kept his grip on Clark’s arm, but shifted quickly so that he was pressed up against Clark’s back, with Clark’s arm bent up so he could easily be controlled.

Clark just straightened his arm back out. It took a bit of effort but Bruce was no match for him strength wise. "Yeah, I played a bit, but it was tough trying to play without using my powers too much."

"There are ways to mess with people other than physical strength," Bruce growled. He reached out, ran his hand over Clark’s peck and stopped to tweak a nipple. "Other ways to gain power over people."

"What, huh, what are you…." Clark leaped back and against the far wall, panting heavily.

"Earlier you said I acted like I didn’t want you around," Bruce said. In a few quick steps, he was standing in front of Clark and started to caress Clark’s chest again. "Well, I want you around."

"We were working out. This is not working out," Clark protested even though he did not try to move away from Bruce this time.

This time Bruce smiled at Clark and it was far from reassuring. "Depends how you look at it." He leaned in closer and started to kiss Clark’s neck.

"I didn't, I mean, you didn't even want to call me tonight and now you want to, you know?" Clark asked.

"Fuck you?" Bruce supplied in a hissed whisper into Clark’s ear. "You’re here, that’s what matters."

"No, I'm not doing this because you're bored," Clark said as he firmly pushed Bruce back. "I don't do… that… with someone who's not even sure they like me."

Bruce reeled back almost halfway across the room from the force of Clark’s push. He regained his feet and glared at Clark. "I told you I wasn’t like other people, Clark. If I like you, I’m not going to gush like I’m sure some of those college boys do."

"Just because you're different does not mean you need to be an asshole," Clark snapped back.

"Sorry, that’s part of who I am," Bruce said. He took a few steps closer to Clark. "I’m not a nice man. I don’t know what more you want from me. I’ve let you work with me. I’ll keep your secrets. If you want me to say the words… fine. I will. I like you."

"This is just all kinda weird, and I don't do well in relationships. I wasn't expecting flowers or anything, but I was not expecting to get jumped in the gym either," Clark said.

"Then don’t call it a relationship," Bruce growled. "Fuck buddies… whatever makes you happy. And we can move to the bedroom if it makes you feel better."

"I don't know if that's…." Clark's protest was cut off when Bruce lean in and started kissing him. It was good, really good, and for a minute Clark was too busy kissing back to realize Bruce had moved one hand behind his head and tangled it in Clark's hair. He did not start to snap out of it until Bruce's other hand slipped inside his sweatpants. Clark's eyes snapped open just in time to see Alfred opening the door to the gym with water bottles on a silver tray.

"Ahh, I have to go," Clark blurted out and was gone with a streak out the open door.

The tray in Alfred’s hand wavered slightly as the gush of wind passed him. "Master Bruce…"

"What, Alfred?" Bruce snarled, as he turned to glare at Alfred, ignoring the obvious tent in his sweatpants. "You could not have picked a worse moment to come in here you know."

"It was the perfect time to stop you from molesting young Master Clark," Alfred said with a glare at man he had raised as his own son. "Now explain yourself."

"Molest him? He could wipe the floor with me if he didn't want it, and it's pretty obvious he wanted it. I don't know what his hang up is," Bruce snorted. "Maybe he'll calm down when he's had a chance to think about it."

"Physical strength doesn’t matter," Alfred said. He set down the tray and handed Bruce a water bottle. "You are seven years his senior. And the poor young man was frightened to death with your strong-arm tactics. Obviously I never taught you properly about subtlety."

"Subtle? We're both guys and just wanted to get off. There's nothing subtle about having a little fun after a workout, Alfred. I think you're making this out to be more than it is," Bruce said.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said in a tone Bruce hadn’t heard in years. It was the tone Alfred used when Bruce had done something very disappointing. "Do you want to be alone forever?"

"What, you're mad that I wanted a quick lay instead of dating him?" Bruce asked, genuinely confused. "I thought you were upset that I was not being friends with him."

"You can be friends with someone and date them," Alfred sighed. "In fact, it’s preferable."

"I don't want to date him. I don't date men, Alfred. Dating someone I work with is an even worse idea," Bruce said. "I just thought we could both get rid of some stress."

"Well, maybe it’s time you tried something new," Alfred said. He took the empty bottle of water from Bruce and set it back on the tray he was carrying. "Master Clark is certainly a better choice than those questionable women you try to pass off as dates."

"I just want to have a little fun with him. I'm sure he'll come around," Bruce said bluntly. "He was pretty interested before you showed up."

"Let me spell this out to you, young man," Alfred said in a low tone and with a scowl in his face. "That boy showed up because he was interested in you as a person, despite your sour disposition. I won’t let him come around because I don’t think you can be trusted. Very disappointing… I had hoped you’d finally grown up."

"I have grown up, and he'll be coming around if I want him too. We both know that it's better we work together than I let him get in trouble out there by himself. If he's not careful someone in Gotham will figure out who he is and then his whole family will be in danger," Bruce said. "I'll just need to be… slower… with anything else I try. If he says no I'm not going to force him."

"Just remember, Master Bruce. This one is different. He might be stronger than you, but you could still hurt him."

"He's just nineteen. I'm sure he doesn't want anything more out of this than I do." Bruce shrugged and used a towel to wipe himself off. "I'm going to workout some more and burn off this energy for now."

Alfred shook his head and sighed heavily. He took the towel from Bruce and left the room without saying another word. The boy would simply have to work this out on his own.

 

Three days later Bruce was getting annoyed. Alfred would not let him make up an excuse to get Clark over, and Clark was making it clear that he did not plan on showing up unless there was something big going on. It was enough that it was going beyond Bruce wanting a quick fuck. Now it was becoming a point of pride and he planned to get Clark into his bed even if it took more effort than he was used to.

He wasn’t proud that it had taken a bottle of spilled red wine to distract Alfred enough for him to get away. He got Clark’s address from his computer file and found himself outside Clark’s door in the modest apartment building. He had always believed men were for fucking men and women were for dating, so it was all a bit surreal for him. This would be the first time he was going to try and date a man, even if it was just to get to the fucking.

Clark opened the door, half twisted around and watching TV. "You're getting better," he said without looking at Bruce. "It usually takes you all forty minutes to get the pizza here. Let me grab my wallet."

"I didn’t bring pizza, I brought flowers," Bruce said and offered the bouquet of roses in an outstretched hand.

"Oh, shit, Bruce, I was not expecting you," Clark said as his head whipped around. "Roses?" Clark stuck his head out and looked around quickly before yanking Bruce inside. "Is this safe? I mean you're not really out and bringing roses here could show up in the papers or something."

"I don’t care about safe right now," Bruce said and pressed the flowers into Clark’s grasp. "And this pizza guy… how often does he come round?"

"Whenever I call and order pizza," Clark said still looking stunned. His eyes were flicking between the flowers and Bruce. "I don't really cook, so I order pizza a lot, you know. That's why I like Alfred's food so much. It reminds me of home. Um, did you want to stay for pizza?"

Bruce would have rather gone out for a good meal, but if they stayed in they were closer to a bed. "Yes, we’ll stay in, but I’ll take care of it when he comes."

"Okay, I should put these in something, right? Oh, and make yourself comfortable," Clark said as he glanced around the one room apartment. "Sorry it's such a mess but I was not expecting anyone."

Bruce took in the unmade bed and the clothing scattered around the room. There were also pizza boxes scattered here and there. "Do you have a vase?"

"Ahh, no," Clark admitted and blushed.

Bruce couldn’t help but smile as he made his way to the kitchenette. He opened a few cupboards and finally pulled out a plastic juice jug. "This will do. Next time, I’ll buy you a vase."

"Next time... Bruce, I'm kinda confused here, if you didn't notice. What's going on here?" Clark asked. "Not that the flowers are not nice and all, but I'm confused."

"I like you confused," Bruce said and deposited the roses into the juice jug. "I’m here to make amends. Play nice."

"I'm still confused but if you're doing that on purpose maybe I should be mad, too."

"I’m not trying to make you mad," Bruce said. He set the improvised flower vase on the counter and shifted in the small kitchenette so that he was standing in Clark’s personal space. "I’m sorry for acting like an asshole last time."

"I just was not expecting that, you know, and I don't really do the casual sex thing. That's more Kal then me, and that is a story we don't need to get into now, if ever," Clark said, turning beet red.

Bruce reached out and laid his hand on Clark’s hip, just above the waist of his jeans. "We don’t have to have casual sex. We can get to know each other first… date."

"Really?" Clark asked, making no move to shift Bruce's hand off him. "I mean, you actually want to date me. I'm not really the sort you'd take to some Wayne dinner you know."

"Is that what you want?" Bruce asked. "Because it can be arranged."

"Yes, I mean, no… you don't have to take me to some formal dinner, but dating someone who knows who I am sounds kinda nice. Are you sure you want to, though? I really didn't think I was your type. Not that I wouldn't go to some formal dinner, if you picked out my clothes," Clark said.

Bruce’s hand had now slipped under Clark’s t-shirt and he was massaging slowly. "I wouldn’t mind, at all. Would you run away this time if I kiss you?"

Clark pulled Bruce's hand out from under his shirt. "This doesn't seem like dating to me. Sounds more like the lines guys in high school used to use on girls to get them to put out." His expression had gone from bashful happy to pissed off in seconds. "Are you playing with me?"

"No," Bruce huffed under his breath. "I’m trying to be romantic. I thought kissing was better than groping you."

Clark lifted up the hand he was still holding. "Kissing is fine for the pre-first date. A kiss. This looked like groping, though."

Bruce took that for all the permission he needed. He quickly pressed Clark against the counter, wrapping one arm around Clark’s waist and working his other hand into Clark’s hair. When Clark gasped in surprise, Bruce slipped his tongue inside of Clark’s mouth.

This kiss went on a lot longer then the first one, and Clark was giving as good as he got. When Bruce's hands started to wander again though, Clark gently pushed him back. "That was nice," he said with a small grin. "The pizza should be here soon though."

"We’ll kiss again after the pizza is here," Bruce announced. He was struggling to keep his breathing and impulses under control. "On the couch."

Clark slowly raised one eyebrow. "It's not a kiss every time you buy me something. It doesn't work like that even if you did say you were buying the pizza."

Bruce sighed and took his coat off, slinging it over the back of a kitchen chair. "People who are dating kiss. They… make out on the couch… watch a movie. It’s romantic."

"People on a first date have a kiss at the door at the end of the date," Clark answered. "And we kinda jumped ahead on that already so we won't count that one."

Before Bruce could answer, there was a voice calling out from the other side of the door. "Hey, Kent. Your pizza’s here."

"I'll take that," Bruce said as he opened the door and took the four boxes of pizza. He handed the delivery boy a hundred dollar bill and shut the door before Clark could say a word. "Four pizzas and he knows you by name?"

"I’m hungry and this’ll last me until tomorrow," Clark said and took the top box from Bruce. He opened up, took out a slice and took a big slice. "I told you I order a lot of take out. Are you jealous of the pizza delivery guy?"

"I don't get jealous," Bruce said, his eyes conveying horror at the mere idea of it. "So, do you have any movies or something to watch?"

Clark lit up when Bruce mentioned movies. "I’ve got a classic. It’s one of my favourites! Have you ever seen Army of Darkness?"

"Army of Darkness? No, but it sounds interesting. What is it based on," Bruce asked as he grabbed a piece of pizza.

"It’s great," Clark said and took the rest of the pizzas and set them on coffee table. "A cult classic. See, there’s this guy with a chainsaw for an arm and there’s this demonic book…"

"It sounds… interesting," Bruce said after he finished chewing a bite of pizza. "Not my usual fare, but I'm willing to give it a try."

Clark dug around the bookshelf that hosted a mixture of DVD’s, CD’s and videotapes. He came back with a videotape in hand and popped it into the VCR. "I taped it off of TV back in grade nine."

Bruce made a mental note to bring a copy of the movie on DVD instead of flowers the next date, maybe a decent TV as well. "So you really like the movie I guess. That means you've had the tape for five years?"

"Yep," Clark said and started to immediately play with the tracking when it played fuzzy on the screen. "I can’t tell you how many times I watched this. Kinda wore the tape out."

"So, you really like this movie," Bruce said. He was not sure the movie was even going to be worth watching, but at least Clark was not arguing with him. He was not going to get himself in trouble again.

Bruce started out picking the movie apart in his head. Both the acting and the plot were lacking, but it was fun to watch how into it Clark was. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Clark was even mouthing most the lines along with the actors. By thirty minutes in he was starting to get caught up in the story, and by the end he was totally ignoring Clark in favor of the movie.

"That was good, really good," Bruce said as Clark got up to turn off the VCR. Any other comment he was going to make was cut off when he was distracted by Clark's ass a feet in front of him when Clark leaned over.

"I'm glad you liked it. I've loved that movie since I first saw it. There are sequels I've got too, but they aren't as good really," Clark said as he sat back down next to Bruce.

"I’d like it if you’d come over to my place next time," Bruce said.

"Why because you have a flat, large screen TV with surround sound?" Clark asked and smirked. Bruce didn’t act like he was slumming, but he definitely had the air of a man who appreciated the good things in life.

"I won’t lie… yes," Bruce said and shifted closer to Clark on the small couch. "But, it’s also more private and has a larger couch."

"Um, this place is pretty private. It's not like anyone is watching us, you know," Clark said. "I could come over next time though."

"No one might be watching us, but how sound proof are your walls?" Bruce asked and when Clark gave him an admonishing glare. "Sorry, it was a joke. Really. Now about that kiss…"

Clark leaned over and kissed Bruce. It was a deep kiss that left them both panting a little when Clark broke the kiss and pulled back. "There, now you can stop worrying about the kiss so much."

Bruce reached over and started to try to push Clark’s unruly hair back. "Thanks. You know… you’re not my usual type."

Clark snorted softly. "Yeah, I kinda wondered about that. I researched you pretty carefully after we met the first time. There was no hint of this anywhere in the press."

"I don't date, not really. The girls that show up in the newspapers are just there because I need a date for an event. I don't think I've ever seen any of them outside of formal events. With my job and my other job it's not like I have a lot of free time to date. Plus, I know how to keep a secret," Bruce chuckled. "Can I see you again tomorrow night?"

"Maybe we should work tonight? Alfred said you get jumpy if you miss too many nights patrolling and I should get some more practice too, I guess," Clark said. "Maybe we could go out two nights from now if nothing comes up."

It was hard to read Bruce, but there was a slight change in his gaze at the mention of patrolling. "I would like to go out. I heard about rumours of something bubbling down in the north end of town."

"Do you want to go out tonight too? It's not like I sleep that much so I'm up for it now if you want," Clark said.

"Tonight’s good. I’ve been neglecting my duty. We’ll have to go back to the cave and get changed," Bruce said. "You’ll have to talk to Alfred. He said he was working on something for you."

"Oh, god, if he designed something I can't stand I'm wearing one of your uniforms again," Clark said. "I've read enough comic books to know they always try to stick the sidekick with weird costumes."

 

When they got to the cave, Alfred pulled Bruce aside and sent Clark into the changing room to look at his uniform. "I see you took my advice at last, Master Bruce. He seems much calmer then last time I saw him," Alfred said. "And don’t worry, I installed white noise barriers between the rooms in the cave so we can talk privately when needed."

With that comment, Clark turned a bright red, but Bruce only smirked. "Thank you, Alfred."

"I trust you behaved yourself, Master Bruce," Alfred told him and touched him on his forearm. Clark looked even more mortified. "Ahh, Master Clark, welcome back. I have something for you in the changing rooms and I’ll have food prepared for you after you return from patrol."

With that comment, Bruce only smirked. "Thank you, Alfred."

"I trust you will behave yourself, Master Bruce," Alfred told him and touched him on his forearm. "I approve of him."

"You should, Alfred," Bruce chuckled. "You picked him."

"I did no such thing, sir. I merely suggested you consider him as more than a sometime work partner. I would not interfere in your life like that," Alfred said with a straight face.

"Of course," Bruce agreed with a raised eyebrow. "Now are you going to give me a hint about what you made for my farm boy?"

"I believe it would be best if you go see for yourself," Alfred said with a grin. "I'll be upstairs."

Bruce went to the changing room but noticed that the door was closed and when he tried the handle, it was locked. "Clark, open up the door."

"No."

"Alfred has good taste, it can’t be that bad." Bruce jiggled the door handle again.

"I'm not so sure about that," Clark muttered loud enough to hear as he opened the door. The uniform was remarkable similar to Bruce's. The same general build, but not as bulky as there was not as much armor in it. It had the same bat emblem, but in blue and red. The gloves had red and blue accents as well, and the cape was midnight blue edged with red.

Bruce grinned at the look on Clark's face under the simple half mask he was wearing. "That looks remarkably like the more colorful version of my uniform that Alfred tried to talk me into," he said.

"Colourful?" Clark croaked. "That’s not what I was going for. Maybe too tight."

"It will hide your identity," Bruce pointed out, trying not to crack a smile. "That’s all that’s important. I could always just refer to you as BatBoy…"

"You ever want another date and the words 'bat boy' will never cross your lips again," Clark growled. "I am NOT Bat Boy, it sounds like I belong on a baseball team. And I don't think anything this tight can hide my identity. Hell, I'm afraid Chloe will see a picture and recognize me."

The slight smile on Bruce’s face disappeared. His hand came out and squeezed Clark’s bicep. "Who’s this Chloe?"

"Friend from high school who plans to be the world's greatest investigative reporter. She was the editor of the school newspaper I worked on," Clark said. He leaned in for a very quick kiss then pulled back. "So, we're agreed that there will be no Bat Boy?"

"No BatBoy," Bruce agreed. His hands were now ghosting over the uniform with the pretense of checking clasps, but really giving him the opportunity to touch Clark. "And no Chloe."

"You are jealous," Clark almost crowed. "Don't worry, if I didn't take her up on the offers during high school when she was throwing herself at me, I'm not about to start now. Now if you're done feeling me up we can go patrol and think of a decent name for me."

Bruce’s hands still lingered over the suit, now touching the bat symbol on Clark’s chest. It was satisfying to have Clark wearing his mark. "I have to go change first."

 

Two night's later Clark showed up in the cave for their date. He was not going to take a cab over to the Manor for a date and he still didn't have a car so super speed to the cave was the easiest way to get over there for his date. He took a second to smooth down his clothes and hair before walking up the stairs.

Bruce met him with a grin when he stepped out of the hidden passage and into one of the studies. "Good evening, Clark. It's good to see you," he said as he moved into Clark's personal space but waited for Clark to initiate a kiss.

"Yeah, it’s good to see you, too," Clark answered and put his hand on Bruce’s hip. The man was dressed all in black, but he gave Clark a soft smile that softened his severe look. He leaned in close and kissed Bruce, waiting for the other man to lose some of his tightly wound control.

"Very nice," Bruce said as they pulled apart. "There is a private dinner laid out for us in the upstairs dining room and a movie cued up in the theater for after dinner."

"Oh, yeah?" Bruce had been making a real effort to "date" and Clark reached out to take his hand. "So, dinner and movie… followed by patrolling?"

"No," Bruce shook his head. He was a little stiff now that Clark was holding his hand, but he squeezed it back. "I went out earlier… so we will have no interruptions."

"Cool, I like patrolling and all, but a night off will be nice," Clark said as he moved ahead of Bruce and started tugging him forward faster.

"It’s not my usual fare, but Alfred assures me you will like it," Bruce said.

When Clark saw the table, he nearly drooled. It was covered with homemade fried chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and even apple pie.

"Damn, pulling out all the stops here, Bruce. You planning on getting lucky tonight?" Clark asked before giving Bruce a quick kiss and sitting down.

Bruce sat down and laid a napkin out on his lap. "I’m dating you, Clark. There’s no such thing as limits."

Clark snorted and started eating. There was not much conversation through dinner as Clark worked his way through all the food on the table. It was really good and he was hungry. Plus, he always ate a lot when he was nervous.

Alfred came in and smiled when he saw the food gone. "It’s good to see a young man with a healthy appetite," Alfred noted and started to clear away the dishes. "You know it was Master Bruce’s idea to get all of this for you. Quite thoughtful."

"Alfred," Bruce growled. "I thought you were going to leave us alone tonight?"

"I’m just to see how the dinner was going, sir," Alfred said. "Now I’m quite satisfied that everything is on course, I’ll most certainly leave you alone."

Clark waited until Alfred was out of the room before he let out the laugh he had been holding back. "He's playing matchmaker isn't he, Bruce?" Clark asked between chuckles.

Bruce looked down sullenly at the table and ran a fingertip around the rim of his wine glass. "Yes, he is. And he’s also checking up to make sure I’m behaving myself."

"I hope this doesn't mean you have to be a perfect gentleman all night?" Clark said with a wink. "So what movie are we going to watch? Alfred told me about your private theater and I can't wait to see it."

"I’ve gotten the DVD pre-release for Alexander," Bruce said. He got up and walked over to lay his hand on Clark’s shoulder. "Have you seen it yet?"

"It was barely in the theater long enough to see it," Clark said. "It looked interesting though."

Clark leaned his head back against Bruce’s chest and sighed as Bruce continued to touch him. "It was. Historically accurate in some aspects."

"Well, let’s get out of here so Alfred doesn't start to fidget over the dirty dishes sitting here." Clark trailed Bruce out of the dining room and downstairs to the theater. "Wow, this place is incredible," Clark said as he looked as the huge screen on the far wall and the tiered chairs and couches scattered around the room.

"It’s not full theater size," Bruce said with a shrug of his shoulder. "But if I wanted that I would have had to sacrifice the architecture of the manor and I wasn’t willing to do that."

Clark grabbed the tub of popcorn that was sitting by the door with one hand and handed Bruce the two drinks before grabbing Bruce's shirt and tugging him toward a couch in the middle of the room. "I'm guessing you've either got the remote or this place reacts to voice commands, right?"

When they sat down on the plush leather couch, their entire bodies were touching. "Lights out. Movie on," Bruce called out. He also smiled once the room fell into the darkness, when Clark settled his arm along the back of the couch.

As the movie wore on, Bruce could see Clark blushing at certain points even by the faint light of the movie screen. Having seen the movie before, Bruce knew where the boring parts were and took advantage of a few of them to steal quick kisses from Clark throughout the movie.

"I’m gonna have to watch this movie again sometime," Clark chuckled after their last kiss. "I’ve been paying more attention to you than it."

"I made sure to only distract you during the unimportant parts," Bruce whispered in Clark's ear. "And this isn't one of those parts so focus on the movie now. Don't pay any attention to what I'm doing."

"I… I didn’t come here to see the movie," Clark said, feeling Bruce’s hand massaging his groin. "It doesn’t matter."

"You said you wanted to date, and a movie is part of dating as Alfred reminded me," Bruce said with a grin. "And despite the flaws, there is a lot of good history in here. Since it's a private theater we can save the more adventurous part of the evening until after the movie."

Clark didn’t care what was happening on the screen right now. Some people would have thought Bruce’s insistence that they spent most of their time in Wayne Manor as a wish to keep their relationship secret, but Clark saw it is as Bruce welcoming Clark into his sanctum. He wanted to see more, not just the end of the movie right now. "I haven’t seen your bedroom yet…"

"Pause movie and save location," Bruce said raising his voice. "If you're ready to see my room I'm not going to stop you." He made sure their refreshments were all on the table before taking Clark's hand and leading him out of the theater and up to his room. "You know Alfred will scold me for being so forward with you."

"Man, let’s not talk about Alfred, for like the next…" Clark looked down at his watch. "At least for two hours. He’s sweet, but… I won't mind you being a little forward now."

Bruce opened the door too his room and tugged Clark inside before closing and locking it. "You've got a deal," he said as he pushed Clark over to his bed.

"Get even more masterful when the door's closed huh, Bruce?" Clark asked as he flopped back on the bed and grinned up at Bruce.

Bruce crawled onto the bed and knelt over Clark. He started to unbutton Clark’s shirt and caress the skin that revealed. 

Clark’s fingers started to fist into the sheets and the bed creaked out under them. "Jeez…" he moaned as Bruce’s fingers ghosted over his nipple.

"Relax," Bruce said and reached over to untwist Clark’s fingers from the now torn sheet. "Any other special abilities that might come out?"

"If you're really good I might start to float as I doze off, so you might not want to sleep on top of me," Clark said. "And there's really no need for condoms." That said he rolled them over so he was on top and leaned in for a kiss.

Bruce returned the kiss enthusiastically and tried to help Clark’s finish taking his shirt off. Clark batted away his hands away with a chuckle and kissed Bruce again. They rolled around for several minutes, making out and removing the last bits of clothing.

Clark fought back a laugh when Bruce almost lunged for the lube in the nightstand once they were both naked. "I guess I'm complimented that you're so eager," Clark said. He pulled the lube out of Bruce's hand and set it on the bed next to them. "I want to make out more first, though."

Bruce had to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. If there was any doubt about taking it slow, all he had to look into those trusting blue eyes belonging to a young man with so much strength and vulnerability at the same time. Bruce reached up and cupped Clark’s face. "For you, I would do almost anything. Waiting is nothing."

"Not waiting, I don't want to wait anymore, just go slow tonight," Clark answered. "I'm not going to say stop now." Clark pulled Bruce against him and starting moving back and forth as his lips locked onto Bruce's.

Bruce responded to each thrust with growing passion, thrusting back and gripping Clark’s hips. "I want you," he growled out after a short while. He really had tried waiting longer, but he couldn’t.

Clark pulled Bruce back in for a long kiss, using his greater strength. After a few minutes of that he released Bruce with a gasp and grabbed the lube, pressing it back into Bruce's hand.

"I’m only going to ask this once," Bruce asked and took the lube. "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure. If I change my mind, it's not like you can force me, you know," Clark said.

Bruce’s answer to that was a grunt and he leaned over to kiss Clark’s inner thigh. He wasn’t used to a partner being stronger than him. It was partly unsettling, but in one way reassuring that he could never hurt Clark. His hand moved and began to tease Clark’s balls, slowly working down.

"Oh, hell, yes," Clark grunted out as he moved his hands up to grip the headboard. "Um, this isn't an antique or something is it?" He was trying not to grip too tightly, but he was not sure he would be able to keep from breaking it.

"I can replace it," Bruce grunted and slicked his fingers with lube. He didn’t care how much the object was worth, it was inconsequential as watching Clark lose control and moan low as Bruce slipped a finger inside.

"Good" was all Clark managed to say as he arched up off the bed and started to hover a few inches above the mattress. The fact that he was floating somehow made it past what Bruce was doing with his fingers, but before Clark could lower himself, the headboard creaked and he had to make sure he did not break it. By the time he had his hands back under control he had forgotten he was floating.

Unfazed by the display of unearthly powers, Bruce kept stretching Clark until the younger man’s head was thrashing in the air. Bruce quickly applied the lube to his cock and grabbed Clark by the hips. It was so very easy to maneuver Clark back onto his cock.

Clark's moans got increasingly louder as Bruce started to push in slowly. There was no feeling of pain, but it did feel weird. Once Bruce was halfway in though it started to feel really good. Clark latched his legs around Bruce and pulled him the rest of the way in. With a roar that shook the room, Clark came as he ripped pieces out of the headboard.

"It’s okay…" Bruce groaned as Clark tightened around him, but he didn’t cum himself. "It’s your first time."

"No, no…" Clark begged. "Don’t stop. Please…"

Bruce was not going to complain. He started a good rhythm, speeding up as soon as he was sure Clark was up to it. It only took a few minutes before Clark was roaring and pulling more pieces out of the headboard. Bruce was starting to get close and kept going as soon as Clark was done with round two. Unless Clark said something he was not planning on stopping.

By the time Bruce himself had cum, there was nothing left of his headboard and Clark had cum for the third time. He also hadn’t been able to stop floating several inches above the bed until he came for a fourth time as Bruce sucked him. Now they were lying on the bed with Clark wrapped in Bruce’s arms.

"Sleep now?" Clark mumbled without opening his eyes. "I'll go home tomorrow."

"Or never," Bruce answered, tightening his grip on Clark.

"Mmm?" Clark muttered and cracked one eye open.

"Don’t leave," Bruce explained. "Move in with me."

"Okay," Clark said, already half asleep. "You have to meet my parents first though."

"We’ll go see them this weekend," Bruce promised and finally closed his own eyes.

 

That Friday, Alfred was helping Bruce pack for their weekend in Smallville while waiting for Clark to show up after class. "I really wish you had invited them here for the weekend, Master Bruce," Alfred said as he zipped the suitcase closed.

"You're just afraid I'll misbehave without you around to watch me," Bruce answered. He was sitting at his desk going over some paperwork. "I haven't scared Clark off yet, I doubt I'll scare his parents either."

Alfred gave Bruce a doubtful look. "This is the first time you’ll be meeting anyone’s parents, Master Bruce. First impressions are very important."

"I'm Bruce Wayne. He said they were okay with him being gay and I can't imagine anyone would think I'm a bad catch," Bruce said.

"Self esteem was never a problem with you," Alfred sighed and gifted Bruce with a fond smile as he folded a sweater. "You can come off as rather… abrupt."

"I'm dating him, not his parents. All I need to do is meet them and not insult them, then we can come home and get Clark all moved in."

"Master Bruce…" Alfred said in a warning tone. "Do you really think that a boy like Master Clark isn’t close to his family?"

"I know he's close or he would not have insisted I meet them, but I doubt he expects us to become close friends. Shouldn't you be happy I have a boyfriend for a week before you start pestering me to get to know more people?" Bruce asked, not looking up from the report he was making notes on.

"I’m not complaining, but I can understand why his parents would be leery about you in their son’s life," Alfred told him. "You’re older than Master Clark and you’ve been dating such a short time and then announce he’s moving in."

"Alfred, stop trying to scare Bruce," Clark said as he barged into the room and over to Bruce. "I promise I'll stand in front of him when dad gets the shotgun down. He's never actually pulled the trigger on anyone unless he was affected by weird mutants."

"The files do indicate that there have been several complaints of excess shotgun fire from the Kent residence by their neighbors," Alfred pointed out. "I would be careful."

"Dad won't really shoot you. He will give you a hard time though, and mom will corner you somewhere to interrogate you," Clark said. He walked over and took Bruce's files out of his hands before pulling him up and into a kiss.

They kissed until Alfred coughed and smiled when they separated, but didn’t let go of one another. "I should get some more work done before we leave…" Bruce said.

"No," Clark cut him off. "You work too much anyways. Pay someone to do it."

"I pay a lot of people, but some things I have to do myself. Just give me fifteen more minutes here while you finish getting ready. The jet is just waiting for us so it will not take long to get there, or to escape if needed," Bruce said.

"Escape?" Clark asked rhetorically. "They’re my parents and I love them, Bruce. Even if things are a little rough at first, we can’t leave."

"If your dad fires the shotgun, or your mom breaks out the truth serum I'm escaping," Bruce said with a grin. He lowered his voice and put his ear next to Clark's. "The sooner we get in the plane, the sooner we get to have some fun away from prying eyes."

Clark gulped and a shiver ran down his spine. "Ah, Alfred… are you done packing yet? He doesn’t need that much. Just some jeans. Jeans are good… and a shirt. We have to go."

"I will be finished before Master Bruce has finished his paper work," Alfred said. " I am sure you would not want me coming along to make sure he did his work in the plane."

"N-No…" Clark croaked and shook his head. Bruce’s hand was lying flat on his stomach and rubbing gently. "Finish your paperwork, Bruce."

When they got to the tarmac, Bruce was fighting back laughter at Clark's excitement. He knew the private jet and runway were impressive, but Clark had been in the Batplane and could personally travel faster then any manmade machine. "Go look at the plane," Bruce said with a grin as he took their bags. "Whenever you're ready we can take off."

Clark ran his hand along the edge of the wing and caressed the sleek metal. "It’s really beautiful. I’ve always loved things that go fast… But I’m ready to go now."

"Sometime we can take a real trip in this. Maybe to the Caribbean or something," Bruce said. The inside of the plane had a small conference room layout with a bedroom in the back of the plane.

The pilot made sure the door was secured and went back to the cockpit to get ready to take off while Bruce showed Clark around the cabin.

"Normally there would be two pilots on here, but I'm rated to fly this plane so I'm the back-up pilot," Bruce explained after they sat down. “It helps to have money to bend the rules.”

"You always like to be in control no matter the situation," Clark pointed out, but he didn’t look upset.

Bruce looked at Clark and reached out to run his hand through the untidy hair. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not at all, as long as you know you're not going to be in control with me," Clark said with a grin as he reached over and messed up Bruce's hair too. "That and mom is in total control of her house."

Bruce made a displeased grunt and smoothed out his hair with his hand. "I know how to handle women."

"Oh really?" Clark asked with a chuckle. "No one knows how to handle my mom."

Clark watched as the runway whipped by and they became airborne. "This is so cool. It may not have been the best idea to tell them to meet us at the airport because dad is not going to think much of a private jet. It's worth it to fly like this though."

Bruce reached out and gripped Clark’s hand. “Everything is going to fine. I’ll win over your parents and by next week you’ll be moved into the manor.”

"Hey, Bruce, I really like you. I'm moving in regardless, but I have to let them meet you first. Moving in with someone is a big deal and it would not be cool to do it if they had not even met you."

Bruce leaned over and kissed Clark. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against Clark’s. “I also… really like you. I’m trying…”

"I know. Alfred and I had a long talk about you a few days ago. I think he was worried you were going to scare me away." Clark gave Bruce another quick kiss and stood up. "Now either follow me back to the bed you showed me when we got on board or I'm going to carry you back there."

“Carry me?” Bruce scoffed. “I don’t think so.” Bruce got up and when Clark stood up, he wrapped his arm around Clark’s waist. “You should let me at least maintain some form of strength around you, farm boy. My poor pride…”

"Alfred thought it was really funny when he saw me carrying you upstairs after that night of patrols where you got banged up," Clark pointed out. "If you do a good job in the bedroom there, Mr. Wayne, I'll make sure not to carry you in front of my dad."

“If ever asked about that incident, I will feign unconsciousness,” Bruce said with a straight face, but Clark could see the amusement in eyes. “Of course, I could always call you Batboy in front of your father…”

Clark snorted and tossed Bruce over his shoulder for the few steps it took to get them in the plane's bedroom. Ignoring Bruce's protests, Clark tossed him on the bed before bouncing on top of him. "Clothes off now. It's not that long of a flight you know."

“Then we’d best stop talking,” Bruce snorted. He grabbed Clark’s t-shirt and worked it up over Clark’s head. When there was a small bit of air turbulence that rocked the plane, he couldn’t help reach out and grab Clark’s hips. He couldn’t curb his protectiveness, even if the boy was invincible.

Deciding Bruce was moving too slow, Clark stripped them both in seconds. With them both naked and laying in bed, Clark started running his hands over Bruce's chest.

Bruce let him have his way for a few minutes, just enjoying Clark's hands running over his body. Once Clark's hands started to slow, Bruce flipped them over and took charge. "Leave your hands there," he said as he lifted Clark's hands and put them on either side of the bed.

Clark didn’t protest, but clinched and unclenched his fingers in anticipation. Bruce started to kiss his chest, tracing the nipples and muscles with his tongue. When that wicked tongue was tickling down the small patch just above Clark’s groin, he moaned out loudly.

“Bruce…” Clark whimpered in a warning tone. “Bruce, I’m gonna…”

“Wait,” Bruce demanded and covered Clark’s cock with his mouth.

The moans over the next few minutes kept getting louder and louder as Clark writhed under the assault. Bruce knew that Clark would not last long, not that it was a big deal with Clark's ability to come four or five times in a row. The howl Clark gave as he came convinced Bruce that they would not be having sex anywhere near his parent's house.

"That's good, Clark. Stay right there, just float up a few inches," Bruce said. He reached over and grabbed the lube he had placed in the room earlier.

Clark had never been able to actively control his floating ability, but when Bruce asked him to float up a few inches, he was able to do it. He left behind the feel of the expensive silk sheets for the sensations of Bruce’s hands running over his ass.

“Hurry…” Clark ordered and spread his legs wider.

Bruce’s light touches didn’t grow more urgent, but stay controlled and maddening. “You can cum as many times as you want, Clark,” Bruce whispered low. “I’m still going to fuck you as slow or as fast as I want to.”

"God damn it, fuck me!" Clark yelled. "I'm afraid I'll ruin the plane if I get too out of control."

“You won’t,” Bruce told him and slid two slicked fingers in deep. “You can cum again if you want, but you’re not going to rush me.”

Clark snarled and took one hand off the bed to start stroking himself. It just took a few pulls and he came with another roar. "Okay," he said.

Clark’s breathing had calmed a little, but his cock was still hard. Bruce had now worked up to three fingers and was enjoying tormenting Clark, but now his own cock was demanding attention. Bruce moved to his knees on the bed in between Clark’s legs and used his grip on Clark’s hips to slide him back.

There had been enough build-up that they both came quickly. Bruce had been keeping track of time as well and wanted to make sure there was enough time to get cleaned up before they landed.

 

"You're sure we don't look like we were fucking on the plane twenty minutes ago?" Clark asked again as they taxied into the small airport on the outskirts of town.

“You always look like you’ve been fucked twenty minutes ago,” Bruce chuckled darkly as and reached out to try and smooth Clark’s hair. “It’s a good look on you.”

"God no, don't say that. I was all calm about this and teasing you earlier, but now I'm worried they will flip out. I don't want them to flip out. I want them to like you," Clark said.

Bruce leaned over and kissed Clark on the cheek. “We’ll do fine,” Bruce told him. “As I told Alfred. I’m a catch.”

Clark's eyes glazed over for a second while he scanned the area. "They're here and waiting for us. Don't get mad if dad says rude things about rich people. It's not personal or anything." As soon as the plane stopped he was up and leading Bruce to the door.

As they stepped out of the plane, Bruce took in the couple standing in front of the beat up pick. The older man didn’t look like Clark, but he carried himself with the same bearing none-the-less. The red haired woman was staring at them with a concerned and yet determined look. She had one hand on her husband’s bicep, the single touch keeping him from saying or doing anything too stupid.

"Mom, Dad," Clark said with a smile. He gave Bruce's hand a quick squeeze then moved to give both his parents a hug. "This is Bruce. Bruce, these are my parents, Jonathan and Martha."

“At least this one has hair,” Jonathan muttered under his breath and glared at Bruce.

“Jonathan!” Martha gasped and smacked Jonathan’s bicep.

“What?” Jonathan sighed and when his wife glared at him, he added, “Okay, fine. Nice to meet you. Can we go now?”

"Bruce and I will ride in the back," Clark said as they got close the Kent's pickup truck. "We're too big to all squeeze in the front." Clark was fighting back a grin as Bruce took in the slightly rundown truck and the open bed with bits of straw laying in it.

“Let me get a blanket for you to sit on, Bruce,” Martha said, taking in his dress pants.

“No thank you, Mrs. Kent,” Bruce said as he jumped into the bed. “I’ll be fine.”

“Told ya you should’ve brought jeans,” Clark teased with a smirk and followed suit, settling in next to Bruce in the bed of the truck.

“They’re in my bag. I didn’t think I would need them until tomorrow at least.”

"We're in farm country, you wear jeans all the time, unless you have a specific reason to dress up. You know if you actually get on Dad's good side he'll have you doing chores tomorrow," Clark said.

“I love hard work,” Bruce answered and glanced back over his shoulder to the cab. “And I’ll take on anything he can throw at me.”

"Hopefully there is not too much to do. I know Dad hired two hands to help out during the week and he should be keeping up. If not I'll have to talk to them," Clark said. "Though I guess it is hard for two regular guys to do as much work as I do when I'm here."

“I know you’re missed,” Bruce said and put his hand on Clark’s knee.

The truck started up and as the motor turned over, Jonathon revved the engine. “He’s touching Clark,” Jonathon growled under his breath, watching them through the rearview mirror.

“That’s generally what boyfriends do, Jonathon,” Martha sighed and held onto the door panel as Jonathon started to drive down the bumpy gravel road. “And we both know Clark can hear you if he wants.”

“Well, maybe it’s good that he hears me. So he’ll figure out I don’t appreciate watching my son get mauled.”

"Oh he can hear you alright," Martha said as he watched Clark lean over and give Bruce a kiss on the cheek. "He's going to push you on this one I think. He really likes Bruce."

“How can he like him? He’s only known that… man for a week.” Jonathon’s hands gripped the steering wheel until they were white.

"Sometimes that's all it takes, and it speaks well of him that he came out here to meet us so soon," Martha said. "Clark's a big boy now. We can't stop him from dating any more then my father could stop me from dating you."

“That’s different,” Jonathon insisted.

“Why, because Bruce is a man?” Martha challenged her husband both with a look and the tone of her voice.

“Yes he is, but the problem is not what either of you is thinking… He’s too old for Clark.”

"He may be, but you are going to give him an honest chance." Martha looked in the mirror and answered Clark's grin with one of her own before letting the cab settle into silence for the rest of the trip home.

 

Bruce found Clark exactly where he suspected he would be. He was in the loft of the barn, looking out the window. Bruce came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Clark’s waist. “Glad to be back? It’s going well enough now,” he whispered the question into Clark’s ear.

"Yeah, after mom scared dad into behaving he actually gave you a chance. He's not going to admit he likes you for a while though," Clark said as he leaned back into Bruce. "And you seemed to have survived the interrogation with mom."

“She loves you very much,” Bruce told him and gave Clark a prolonged squeeze. “They both do. That’s why we have to tell them. I wasn’t going to do it without you.”

"We can tell them tomorrow morning. That way if they really freak out we won't be here too long, but long enough for them to get the worst of it out of their system," Clark said. "They are asleep though, I just checked. That means we're pretty much on our own out here."

“Is that your way of asking for something?” Bruce asked with a deep chuckle. He also started to nuzzle the back of Clark’s neck.

"Yeah, it's been over twenty-four hours and it's not like my parents don't know we have sex. I don't think they will mind if we mess around in the barn and they don't know about it," Clark answered.

Bruce’s hand snuck down and popped the button on Clark’s jeans. “Mess around, mmm?” Bruce repeated back with an amused chuckle. His hand had now reached into Clark’s jeans and was massaging him slowly.

"Well, if I said I wanted to get fucked you'd probably be worried about my parents, so I'll just say mess around and make sure I turn you on enough to get fucked," Clark said. He pushed back slightly and started rubbing his ass in Bruce's crotch.

“I like the way you think, farm boy,” Bruce told him and pulled him back tighter against his erection. “Did you ever have any fantasies you want fulfilled up here?”

"Not thinking about fantasies right now, just that it's been too long since the plane ride. I don't care where we do this as long as we do it now. I can take us wherever you want," Clark said. "The couch here is pretty comfortable though." Clark had them stretched out on the couch in seconds to demonstrate.

The springs creaked under their combined wait and Bruce smiled as Clark squirmed to get more comfortable under him. “This will work exceedingly well.”

Clark grinned up at Bruce. "Good, give me a second to get us naked and a blanket." He lifted Bruce up and stripped them both, making sure to get the lube out of his pocket. Then he lowered a blanket over the two of them before returning to normal speed.

“Eager much?” Bruce teased and leaned down to kiss Clark.

“Duh,” Clark responded back after a few more kisses. His hand came up to run over Bruce’s spine, stopping at his lower back.

"No taking the edge off tonight," Bruce said. "You come before I'm inside you and we'll stop right there. Once I'm in you can come as many times as you want."

“But…” Clark started to protest but Bruce covered his mouth with his hand.

“You heard me, Clark,” Bruce told him. His eyes were dark and serious. He was pushing Clark for some unknown reason.

"You better hurry," Clark mumbled between clenched teeth, glaring up at Bruce.

"It should be worth it," Bruce said as he quickly slicked himself up. "The first time you come is the more intense and you come harder when I'm in you. We're going to combine the two, and make sure you can follow directions."

“You're analyzing this too much,” Clark complained. Expecting to feel Bruce’s fingers stretching him first like they had always done, he groaned when he felt Bruce’s cock press slowly inside of him.

"Alright, I'm all the way…." Bruce stopped talking as Clark came with a muffled shout and shot up, hovering a good four feet over the sofa. "In," Bruce finished after he was sure he had a good grip on Clark and was not going to fall off. "You're going to have to float back down before I continue."

“Uh huh…” Clark mumbled and floated down a little.

As soon as Clark was low enough for Bruce to brace himself he set a steady pace pounding into Clark. If Clark had kept relatively quiet the first time, Bruce was pretty sure he was going to stay quiet.

Clark was not paying much attention to Bruce. He was lost in sensation and just letting the orgasms wash over him. He did notice when Bruce came right after his fourth orgasm and groaned in disappointment.

Bruce pulled out, but did not stop, instead he bent over to take Clark’s cock into his mouth. As he started to suck, he also slipped two fingers inside and started to tease Clark from the inside.

"Oh, fuck, yeah," Clark moaned as Bruce teased another orgasm out of him. He kept moaning through the seventh orgasm, after which he stopped floating and settled the rest of the way onto the couch. "Okay, you were right. Waiting was good."

“When it comes to sex, it can be,” Bruce said and kissed Clark. “When it comes to us… I couldn’t wait. That's why I came to face the inquisition after a just a week.”

"Hmm, they are not that bad. They both like you and everything," Clark said sleepily. "We should clean up and get inside though before morning if we want to keep it that way though."

“I did like the added touch of me sleeping on the couch,” Bruce noted with a chuckle.

“Mom had to give Dad something.” Clark stretched out and tried to fight the urge to sleep. “Next time you won’t have to. I promise.”

"Just lay there while I get us cleaned up. Then we can get dressed and get inside," Bruce said.

 

Sunday afternoon, during a late lunch, Clark finally could not put off telling his parents any longer. "Um, guys, before Bruce and I take off, I wanted to let you know that when we get back I'm going to move in with him. We wanted you to have a chance to meet him before we did that though."

Jonathon didn’t leave with an outburst, but Clark watched his father’s face turn red. He also noticed that his father savagely stabbed his lunch.

Martha was the first one who spoke and broke the awkward silence. “That’s nice sweetheart… I’m glad you told us, but maybe we should discuss this a little more.”

"Mrs. Kent, with all due respect. Clark and I are old enough to make this decision. We did want to make sure you had a chance to get to know me in person instead of telling you with a phone call or after the fact," Bruce said.

“That is all well and good, Bruce,” Martha told him. “But how well do you really know each other? Can you tell me what Clark’s favourite food or colour is?”

"He likes just about anything Alfred makes, but his favorite so far is bacon cheeseburgers with all the fixings and potato salad," Bruce said. "As for his favorite colours… I'd have to say red and blue, but which one it is switches from day to day."

“What in the hell does that have to do with anything?” Jonathon snapped. “Clark, you are not moving in with this man!”

“Jonathon… calm down! Your heart,” she hissed. “And it has everything to do with this conversation. It means that he cares about Clark… not just about well, you know.”

"I don't care. He didn't even ask, just told us he was moving in with a billionaire that's Lex's age," Jonathan said.

"Dad, he's not Lex, and I love him. You don't get to tell me who I can be with, but you can offer advice, politely. That's why I wanted to be upfront about this," Clark said.

Jonathon took a deep breath and glared at Bruce before looking at his son. “I’ve accepted you’re different, Clark. I always have, but I want the best for you, son. One week. You’ve known the man a little over one week. Is this some sort of… alien bonding thing?”

"Dunno, it could be, or it could just be normal love. How many weeks did it take to know mom was the one for you after your first date?" Clark asked.

Bruce hid a smile at the question. It was perfectly done and Jonathan would have to risk pissing his wife off to keep pushing the time issue.

“You did tell me on our first date that you were going to marry me, Jonathon,” Martha said. “If I remember correctly, you said I was the woman of your dreams. Unless I’m mistaken.”

“You’re not mistaken,” Jonathon mumbled. “But…”

“But what, Jonathon?” Martha challenged.

"I still think they should wait more then a week before moving in together. We didn't get married and move in that first week."

"I said I'll listen and I mean it, dad," Clark said. "That's not enough of a reason for me change my mind though."

“Have you thought about what dating a man like him will bring you?” Jonathon asked. He reached out and grabbed his glass, taking a long gulp of juice and wishing it was beer instead. “Attention. Too much attention that you don’t need.”

"There will be some, but Bruce has a good public relations team that will help take care of anything that comes up. I'll be careful too," Clark said. "That's not a problem."

“Why couldn’t you just meet a nice normal boy?” Jonathon sighed heavily. “One who doesn’t have a public relations team? Just a nice normal boy…”

Martha put her hand on Jonathon’s arm and patted gently. “Clark is wasn’t meant to live a mediocre life, dear.”

"Fine, I don't like it, but it looks like that doesn't matter," Jonathan said. After a hard glare from Martha he added, "I am glad you came here to tell us before you moved in though."

“Mr. Kent…” Bruce was trying to think of the one thing that might speak to a man like Jonathon. “I respect your son. I love him and trust me, there was a time I never thought I could say that about anyone. I want him around so that I know he’s safe.”

"I'm not sure that being with you is going to protect him," Jonathan said. "But we'll see how it goes. Martha and I will be visiting soon."

After spending the weekend with these people, he would expect nothing less. “I’ll give you my personal line. If I’m not there, you can make arrangements with Alfred.”

"Okay guys, we really have to get going," Clark said, looking happy that things seemed to have gone fairly smoothly.

“Oh, sweetie, don’t forget to grab the snacks I packed you,” Martha said. She got up from her seat and walked over to hug first Clark and then Bruce briefly. “The coolers are in the kitchen. I don’t want to forget them before we take off to drive you to the airport.”

"I'll put them out in the truck," Clark said. He pulled Bruce behind him to the kitchen and then outside to give his parents a few minutes alone. "Mom will calm Dad down a little more. Just don't let her get you alone today."

“I kind of took the forced cheerfulness pretty much for the cover up it was,” Bruce admitted and moved closer so that Clark was pressed up against the side of the house. “I can certainly say that she frightens me in ways that Alfred never did.”

"Just wait until she meets Alfred and they start plotting together," Clark said with a chuckle. "Then you'll really need to be scared."

“Well, it’s not like they can plot together for grandchildren,” Bruce snorted.


End file.
